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Zap a gap vs Loctite super glue gel vs Tamiya extra thin cement vs Testors model glue, and E6000


Ranger I Pct 4

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It has been a year since I started on my B-17G. I guess the reason it's taken so long is because I'm a little apprehensive on putting the parts together and not being successful in sealing up the gaps especially on the fuselage. I have the following: Loctite super glue gel, Tamiya thin cement, and the 'ol standard Testors model glue and I also have a tube of Tamiya putty basic type and E6000. 

I have heard Zap A Gap here and there a few times in blogs and videos. 

I might be wrong but, what is Z-A-G, is it a CA-type glue, is it a magic solution that will make gaps disappear (using Harry Potter's wand of course)? Would I benefit from having it or is what I have good enough?

Thanks, y'all!

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Zap a gap is an accelerator for Cyanoacrylates. I stopped using it 20 years ago as i found it made the C/A dry to quickly and turn brittle. Everything i glued with it would fall off after a little while. I also foubd if you use to much it can heat up during the chemical reaction and distort the plastic. 🤬 I lost an F-84 that was about 2/3rds done. It melted and distorted the nose while setting the nose weights. I find if you want to stop C/a fast, that a drop of water causes the glue to stop setting instantly. But thats just me maybe others would recommend/argue in favor of zap a gap. 
 

Dennis

Edited by Corsairfoxfouruncle
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Zap a Gap is indeed a brand of CA. They have all manner of formulations including accelerator and debonder.

 

I'd be VERY careful with E6000. I used it once to glue some nose weight in place and it melted the fuselage--lots of filling followed lots of cussing. 

 

As @Corsairfoxfourunclenoted, CA is not a good choice for gluing plastic parts to each other. Leave that stuff for PE or other materials. 

 

My goto glue for plastic is Tamiya Thin. 

 

The first and most important thing when bonding parts is to dry fit and make sure you have perfectly mating parts. A sheet of glass with abrasive paper grit-side up will give you a good tool to ensure true mating surfaces, especially for large parts. Rigid sanding blocks can help on the male side when alignment pins are present. Do this work carefully so you don't remove too much material.

 

When gluing parts with Tamiya Thin, mate the parts first and then apply the glue with the applicator. Hold the part until the glue evaporates and sets. DO NOT touch the joint until you're sure the glue is dry. It sets quickly so only a little patience is needed. For a large part, start at one end and work your way around the part. Before moving to the next section, hold the parts until the joint sets.

 

If you still have any gaps despite your best efforts, it's best to fill through gaps with plastic. Thin Evergreen strips work well for this. Cut a suitably sized strip to length, push into the gap, apply Tamiya Thin, and let it dry. Once it's dry you can trim any excess plastic still standing proud.

 

Surface gaps can be filled with your favorite filler. I like Tamiya Fine Putty. You might prefer something else, like a water soluble putty. A trick to using putty is to use its solvent to eliminate excess putty instead of sanding it down, which risks damaging surface detail. I use Mr Thinner as a solvent for Tamiya putty. Dip a cotton bud in the the solvent and rub the excess putty with the swab. It will take some swabbing, but the excess putty will eventually come off. Be careful when you see it start to come off and you may not need any final sanding. 

 

If you do sand, use masking tape to protect areas not to be sanded. 

 

HTH

-- 

dnl

Edited by dnl42
Correct spelling and swype typing are an art...
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Corsairfoxfouruncle and dnl42 thanks so much for this invaluable information!👍

I really appreciate how to use the Tamiya (I have never used it before) and what to use and what to avoid. 

My last build was the 1:96 USS Constitution and I was using the testors liquid cement. That build only had the hull and 2nd deck with all of the cannons and rope and officer's quarters and that is as far as I got. It has since been shelved. Oh... I might get it back out someday. 

Now, it's back to the B-17 with confidence! 

Thanks again guys!!!

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I have not even started a kit of many years, until I started my Airfix Hurricane. I used mostly Tamiya Extra Thin applied with and old used fine ( 000 ) paintbrush. Any little gaps left were filled with Mr. Surfacer 1000 applied where needed with a cut-off sewing needle. I did sand the Mr. Surfacer with stripes of 600 grit sandpaper and with the same sandpaper glued to the flat surface of wooden toothpicks.

 

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Chris

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I, too, endorse the use of Tamiya Extra Thin, applied with a small brush, for assembly. For long seams, such as between fuselage halves, just hold the parts together and touch the brush loaded with cement to the seam. Capillary action will take care of the rest.

 

If you fear that a solvent based putty will mar the surfaces, use Deluxe Materials Perfect Plastic Putty. It's a water-basec putty and cleans up with water. A dampened cotton swab will do it. Although I prefer a lacquer-based putty for general use, I use Perfect Plastic Putty in areas that are hard to sand or where sanding might obliterate surface details.

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As @dogsbody showed, tools can be fashioned as needed. I use those sandwich picks for a variety of purposes.

 

Along with PPP as recommended by @Space Ranger, you might look for Vallejo Plastic Putty in a tube. It includes an applicator nozzle, a miniature version of what you might get with tube caulking, that is useful for getting into tight spots. Combine that with water as solvent and it's quite easy to use this for tight spots.

 

BTW, Deluxe Materials also has other useful products. I really like their Liquid Gravity for tricycle gear aircraft to avoid a tail-heavy model. Obviously not needed in a B-17 or USS CONSTITUTION.

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My technique varies depending on the type of seam.  If it's a simple, well-engineered styrene kit I'll use Tamiya extra thin, and squeeze a bead of liquid plastic out as I go along, then sand it back, polishing it to a shine to spot any blemishes.  If it's resin or a short-run kit with obvious gaps and/or twist/distortion I'll use super glue that I apply along the slightly open fuselage parts with the tip/edge of a #11 scalpel blade, going round the join in sections to avoid getting crossed up and creating a reet mess.  Sometimes I'll use CA as a filler if there's no detail to obliterate next to the seam, especially if it's a resin kit.  With styrene, I'm more likely to use Tamiya Basic putty, smearing it on thinly with a metal modelling tool.  Again, I polish the finished article back to shiny to test how it looks, checking it at different angles for finish.  Sometimes I'll wipe a little CA over the Tamiya putty or any surface that will absorb a bit of paint, and give a slightly different look and texture, polishing it smooth once cured,

 

When I've got a nice natural seam such as at the wing root, I'll use the aforementioned Vallejo Masilla Plastica water soluble putty with the fine applicator.  Squirt it carefully into the line and wipe it away with a finger or cotton bud, being careful not to use water until it has firmed up, as this will induce slump in the finish on occasion.  Any excess putty can be scraped out of panel lines with a cocktail stick or scribing tool.  It's also good for harmonising panel lines and join lines that are too deep compared to the others.

 

That's all starting to sound a little familiar to me, and I suspect I've written all this out before :rolleyes:

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Years ago I built a larger scale (I cannot remember the scale) AC‐130 (Spooky) Gunship and my favorite jet of all time the A-6 Intruder both of which needed weighted nose. I would just melt down a few lead fishing weights, scribe the date into it and plop it in the nose. 

I still have the Intruder but, lost the Spooky. I'll look for the liquid gravity for future builds.

These tips and tricks are great. Please keep 'em coming. 👍

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For a bad fuselage halfs joins I use sprue goo (a quarter or a third of a bottle of a tamiya extra thin with the sprue cut outs. extra thin melts the sprue pieces an you can use this stuff as a filler). Disadvantages: stuff dries for at least 12 hours and may settle so more than one application may be needed. Advantages: when settled it is almost the same plastic as the rest of the kit so you can sand and rescribe it with the rest of the kit and it would behave the same as the plastic surrounding it

Edited by Doom3r
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Doom3r, that sounds great, since I gauged a large divot out of the number 3 engine. I wish I had see n this post first instead I filled it in with Tamiya basic putty. I used nail polish remover to clean the edges out and around the filled area. Now, I'll hope for the best when I start to sand it down. 🤞

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30 minutes ago, Ranger I Pct 4 said:

I filled it in with Tamiya basic putty. I used nail polish remover to clean the edges out and around the filled area.

Wow! I guess nail polish remover was ok.:o

 

Mr Color Thinner is a safe solvent for Tamiya putty and Mr Surfacer in this application. I've also used it with cotton swabs and "cotton rounds" to strip paint from a model. Don't try regular hardware store lacquer thinner for these purposes as it will likely damage the plastic--the stuff I find locally surely does.

 

In any event, Tamiya putty is a fine choice for that situation. You may need additional applications as it does shrink. Expect to need multiple applications of putty (either Tamiya putty or @Doom3r's homemade putty) to fully fill the area.


BTW, cotton rounds, nail file sticks, and nail buffing sticks are good makeup aisle additions to your modeling supplies. Avoid the coarser file sticks. You can find modeling-oriented versions of file and buffing sticks in you local hobby shop (also known as an LHS) or Hobby Lobby.

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dnl42. Yes the nail polish remover was fine. I found that info on a video, it just needs to be used before the putty dries. I usually swipe my wife's old nail tools; buffers, files, etc. I also bought a set of files at a hardware store called Harbor Freight. 

So, the buffer, I guess is used after I sand down the putty?

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